Wednesday, April 23, 2025
National Congress of American Indians, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Dawn Knickerbocker, Vice President of Philanthropic Strategies, National Congress of American Indians, Washington, DC
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), founded in 1944, is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the United States. It represents 574 federally recognized tribes and advocates for their interests, promoting tribal sovereignty and self-determination. The NCAI Foundation is the only philanthropic entity directly accountable to Tribal Nations through a participatory process.
As the philanthropic arm of NCAI, the National Congress of American Indians Foundation (NCAIF), channels expertise and assets to Tribal communities, supporting Tribal Nations in a transformative journey toward shared prosperity and resilience. NCAIF empowers Tribal Nations to develop solutions with global significance.
Dawn Knickerbocker (she/her/Kwe) is an Anishinaabe leader, philanthropy expert, writer, and advocate dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty and equity. An enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe from the Ottertail Pillager Band of Indians and a citizen of the White Earth Nation, Dawn’s work at NCAIF focuses on building transformative funding systems that lower barriers, increase transparency, and ensure resources flow directly to Tribal Nations and Native-led solutions. She leads efforts to bridge philanthropy with Tribal Nations, designing funding mechanisms that support education, economic empowerment, and cultural protection. Her approach is rooted in an Equity and Sovereignty Framework, centering Tribal self-determination and long-term resilience. Dawn’s leadership is grounded in trust, reciprocity, and the belief that Tribal Nations hold the power to shape their own futures on their own terms.
Linda Garrett-Johnson, Program Officer, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, Saint Paul, MN
The Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation is a community foundation that aims to create a just and vibrant Minnesota where all communities and people thrive. Serving all of Minnesota, the Foundation brings together donors, nonprofits, financial advisors and community members to address some of the biggest problems facing Minnesota communities. Established in 1940, the Foundation stewards $1.9 billion in charitable assets for community good, making over 8,500 grants to the nonprofit community, inspiring generosity, advocating for equity and investing in community-led solutions and resources to improve lives for generations to come.
Linda Garrett-Johnson is a Program Officer with a broad background that includes at-risk youth development, authentic community engagement, six sigma business process, organizational development, human-centered design, and grant development and management (including federal, corporate and community foundations). She serves on the Board of 360 Communities, which provides violence prevention and intervention, along with housing intervention and supportive services. Linda also created the Community Engagement Ambassadors – Dakota County and the Center for Intersectional Leadership.
Linda is responsible for managing the housing and youth development portfolios on behalf of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation, and Mardag Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational development from Metropolitan State University and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt (business process improvement).
Ben Chou, Democracy, Rights, and Governance Program Officer, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, CA
The Packard Foundation, established in 1964, is committed to a more equitable, inclusive, and just future, where diversity flourishes. Working to create enduring solutions for just societies and a healthy, resilient natural world, the Foundation’s mission is defined by three, overarching, interdependent goals: Build just societies, Protect and restore our natural world, and Invest in families and communities.
As Democracy, Rights, and Governance Program Officer, Ben Chou helps lead the organization’s emerging grantmaking in support of a thriving, pro-equity democracy in the United States.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ben was a Program Officer for Civic Engagement at the Houston Endowment, where he helped oversee a $20 million portfolio to increase nonpartisan voter turnout, improve elections administration, and support pro-voting policies. Previously, Ben directed policy and innovation efforts at the Harris County Elections Department as the Senior Advisor for Policy and Innovation. There, he helped lead the effort to create drive-thru voting, a first-in-Texas service that nearly 130,000 residents used to vote during the November 2020 election. He has significant public policy experience, having worked for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Ben holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science, Asian studies, energy policy studies from Rice University as well as an MBA and J.D. from Northwestern University. He is a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, Harry S. Truman Scholar, and Morris K. Udall Scholar.
Angela Richardson, Senior Trainer, The Grantsmanship Center
Angela brings more than 20 years' experience as a nonprofit program and fund developer, strategic planner, and organizational coach. As senior trainer, Angela has coached other trainers for The Grantsmanship Center and trained staff for nonprofit organizations, school districts, governments, faith-based organizations, and colleges and universities. She brings additional expertise in education and the arts, recently delivering a virtual workshop for Broward County Cultural Division, FL as part of the Business Skills for Creatives series. Angela has facilitated many in-person Meet-the-Grantmaker panels in Los Angeles for PROJECT GRANTSMANSHIP and for the City of Los Angles, city council members. Recently, Angela trained faculty and community-based nonprofit leaders as part of a Research Proposal Workshop sponsored by UCLA Health Sciences.
